§ Mr. Laurence RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the remaining reserves of domestic supplies of(a) gas, (b) oil and (c) coal. [129944]
§ Mr. TimmsThe Department of Trade and Industry publishes annually estimates of oil and gas reserves on the UK Continental Shelf. The latest estimates are that, as at the end of 2002, remaining proven and probable discovered recoverable reserves amounted to 920 million tonnes of oil and 1,000 billion cubic metres of gas. A further 425 million tonnes of oil and 330 billion cubic metres of gas are classified as possible reserves in discovered fields. There are a further 90 to 490 million tonnes of oil and 70 to 265 billion cubic metres of gas in potential additional reserves in smaller undeveloped fields. Furthermore, it is also estimated that additional reserves of between 270 and 1,770 million tonnes of oil and between 235 and 1,390 billion cubic metres of gas could exist in fields that had not been yet discovered.
A study carried out by IMC Group Consulting Ltd. for DTI which was published in December 2002 assessed UK coal reserves in the 15 deep mines operating at that time at around 150 million tonnes, with further known mineral potential of around 260 million tonnes, mainly in 7 mine licence areas. The UK opencast reserve is estimated to be around 230 million tonnes.